let the vineyards be fruitful...

We visited Cedar Ridge Winery when we visited Camden last November... twice. It was my first {and second} trip to a vineyard, and I was excited to see all it had to offer! The day was gray, the drizzle was heavy... and the vines were in hibernation for the winter. Good thing I'm not the kind of girl who would let that get in the way of enjoying the wine and our visit! We brought Camden back for lunch the next day... in the even heavier drizzle.

Coming back to Iowa in the {almost} spring was such a joy! It was still cold {some days very cold!} but the landscapes were green, the trees were beginning to bud, and the flowers were in bloom. And... the vineyard was green.

We brought our parents to the vineyard for lunch, for a casual and fun adventure. Half of me was enjoying the lunch and the wine... and the other half of me was itching to get outside and walk through the vineyard. I wasn't sure if Eric would go for it, because we had already done a little morning hike, but I knew I was going to try to get him to say yes anyway.

I can be very persuasive... or, he just loves me that much.
Our parents went on to figure out their own afternoon adventures and we walked. The air was crisp, and the skies were blue... my perfect kind of day. And just us, hand in hand, was what my soul needed to quiet itself in the frenzy of family and celebrations. While we walked the rows, my heart was singing...

Let the vineyards be fruitful, Lord, 

and fill to the brim our cup of blessing.

...it just seemed fitting.

And when we had walked up the last hill back towards the restaurant. I paused to take a picture... the brilliant pink blooms knew I couldn't resist. A woman spotted us, and struck up a conversation about the flowering trees, Iowa, and the beautiful day. It was a simple conversation, not much deeper than how's the weather? but I love moments like this because it's not really us to have these conversations with strangers.  It adds so much to our life, and makes me feel like we are growing! A few minutes later, her husband walked up and joined us, introductions were made all around, and the conversation continued. More about Iowa, a little about Florida, and then some graduation talk. And then...Richard told us that he & Kim have a small local ministry, and asked us if he could say a blessing for us. So there we stood, in the beauty of the day, with pink blooms floating around us, and he prayed. For us, for Camden, for his journey from graduation...

It was beautiful, and it made me cry... for a hundred reasons. God knows just what we need, and His timing is always perfect.

Let the vineyards be fruitful, Lord...

our cast of characters...

Maybe one of the reasons I was so excited for this trip was that we would all {almost all... Tina, you were missed!} be together to celebrate: my family, his family... our family. There was one glitch though. Laura. She moved to Colorado in April, knowing she would need a week off in July... and she felt like it was irresponsible to ask for more. She talked to Camden first, and he understood. When she told us... what could we say? So we began to plan without her...

But... God placed a new opportunity in her path, and her new job gave her weekends off! Would she be willing to fly in Saturday morning and back out Sunday night? Laura contemplated, then finally decided yes, on ONE condition... she wanted to surprise Camden. Okay. Done.

The weather leading up to our weekend was crazy across the nation. While we drove in with no problems, my parents had planned on an extra day in Nashville, but skipped out on their planned zoo day to beat the weather! The four of us arrived Thursday afternoon, a day ahead of schedule!

Eric's parents flew into Iowa Thursday night...well, it was actually Friday by the time they arrived. Delays in Florida had them racing for their delayed connection in Atlanta. But they made it, and that was what was important.

Eric's brother and his wife {Uncle Fritz & Aunt Heather} were due to arrive Friday at noon, and... their flight was cancelled. They ended up finding another flight from Richmond to Dallas, which eventually made its way to Iowa. Five hours late? Better than never. We were able to keep our dinner reservation at the Sing-A-Long Piano Bar, which was delicious and fun.

And that brings us to Laura... our surprise guest.
She was due to arrive at noon, before Baccalaureate. But those storms kept on raging, and there were delays and changed flights... and I was almost to my breaking point. Too much stress. So we went to the ceremony without her, enjoyed the reception, and made our way on to dinner...

Aunt and Uncle to her rescue... they picked her up at the airport and met us at the restaurant {which had it's own set of issues: prom, graduation...} The foyer at the restaurant was packed - no room to budge, no room to pull off the surprise. So we waited outside in the cold until there was a little more breathing room.

I was expecting shock and utter surprise... and I might have felt robbed at his "Oh, hi! It's you!" response to seeing his sister... but they sat at dinner together and chatted and laughed and were silly together and it brought me to tears. Gasping-I-can-hardly-speak tears.  And the difficulties of the travel day disappeared...

p.s. If Tina and her kiddos could have come we would have all ALL been together... but travel is expensive, and it was May, and there is so much school to do in May! They were definitely there in spirit and in our hearts!

the road trip...

I was itching to get on the road, so excited to begin this journey to graduation. Eric had somehow talked me into leaving after work, instead of in the wee hours of the next morning ... it took me some time to come around to it. The car was packed, we had one one more work day to get through. I was antsy. Our original goal was to leave by 5pm, but after a delay in Eric's Do The Right Thing Ceremony, we were thrilled to pull out of the driveway at 5:30, with our first destination 4 hours away. Here's the thing... waking up after a great night's sleep and already being halfway through Florida was a fantastic feeling! And not worrying about landing in Atlanta during rush hour was a huge bonus!

Have you ever eaten your Chick-fil-a with a knife & fork? Nothing like fancy fast food!

Tennessee was so pretty along the way! We did stop at a rest stop to get in some scenery & steps!

Kentucky!

Once we hit Illinois we had to stop for gas (which was a mistake $$$) and STUCKEYS!
And just for the memory, we did buy Eric a t-shirt!

Missouri! It was really neat to drive right through St. Louis and see the Arch!
Not long after this, we stopped to refuel... and it was COLD! Eric then realized he did not pack a jacket. Or a sweatshirt. 

Iowa at last!!!  My goal was to make these Cheez-its last the whole trip...and THEY DID!

Sometimes getting there is half the fun... and because we felt ahead of schedule, we were relaxed along the way. My parents were a couple of hours behind us on the second travel day, and texting back and forth with my Mom added to the fun. She would send me something like: Wow - lots of deer on the the side of the road! And then I replied: Fox coming up on your right! And while she didn't understand it when she read it, two minutes later she did! And when she let me know they had crossed into Iowa, I asked her: Did you pass the weird holes in the ground? It kept us laughing!

Also I have felt the best I ever have on a road trip and I attribute it to something I have never ever done before: exercise on vacation. Yes. Every morning I got up and did my workout in the hotel, and it energized me for the day!

Maybe the best part of the road trip was this...

...seeing his face, being together.



p.s. The jacket you see Eric wearing? That was our actual first stop in Iowa...

my son, the blogger...

Last fall, Camden shared with us that he had an opportunity to travel to South Africa for shark research, and we were excited, but wary. Does that still keep you on track to graduate in May? It seemed to be our repeated question, and I'm sure he grew weary of it! But the answer was always yes, and so we kept our hotel reservations and prayed for graduation success.

Occasionally we'd ask him for an update on how the funding for this research was going, and his answer was always let me check on that. It wasn't until we visited him after Thanksgiving that we realized that this was a big deal. He asked us to take a meeting for him {really?} because he had class... and we found ourselves sitting in the career center, not completely sure why we were there. Rebecca must have sensed our confusion, and then laid it all out for us. Camden had been named a Cornell Fellow and the research project, with funding, was a go. She continued on, sharing with us the rigorous process that he had navigated... and what would be expected during and after his travel. The minute she said Camden is required to write a weekly blog post I was all in and pretty darn excited.

Cam spent February and March at Oceans Research in Mossel Bay, South Africa... and it was more than a trip of a lifetime. He learned so much about the ocean, research, and...himself. I stalked social media and was thrilled every time I caught a glimpse of him. I stressed about the air travel (we were responsible for booking the tickets, and when you buy tickets in/for Africa you wonder... are they real?) and exhaled when he made it to where he was going. And when he sent a photo along with an exciting note about cage diving, I wrestled between excitement {for him} and worry... and I prayed.

He has many favorite moments from his trip... but my favorites were when I would click over to the Cornell Fellows website and see that he had another blog post up... {read them here!} I'm so thankful that he had this experience!

the graduate...

The second week in May we took our third trip to Iowa.
(Fourth, I suppose, if you count that first college visit.)

Honestly, I thought we'd visit more than three times over his four years at Cornell...but we've apparently raised a pretty independent young man. After the first time he moved out of his dorm, then back in again, all on his own, I stopped worrying about it. He figured it out, just like he has figured out a thousand other things before, and since. I am very thankful.

I can hardly believe the experience that Cornell College provided Camden. On top of his amazing education, earned 18 days at a time, he made lifelong friends, and experienced many once-in-a-lifetime adventures: swimming with sea lions, swimming with whale sharks, researching flying fox in Mauritius, and spending two months in South Africa researching sharks {yes, that DID include a cage dive and great white sharks...but he survived, so I forgave him.} I did not know that college had all of this to offer.

Is there anyone more proud than a Mom whose son graduates college on Mother's Day? It was an amazing gift - he'll probably not be able to top it! I was so excited for the weekend and the ceremony. Seeing him in his element, so grown, almost did me in. The ceremony was very personal, especially knowing that a friend he made on day one was giving the graduation speech {along with his first adviser}and it was FUN! I'm not sure I expected that, but it really was! We are so very proud of him and all he has accomplished so far.

There are a few more stories to tell about this epic week in May... so I'll dub this Graduation week!
More to come!

there goes my baby...

Another airport goodbye today... and as I keep my eyes glued to his back as he navigates the security line, I pray for him. Baby? Not anymore. Not even close. He celebrated 20 a couple of weeks ago. {Yes, please say it - How is that possible, where has the time gone?!}

It occurs to me that this is just another in a long line of from now on. There will be beautiful reunions filled with as many memories as we can fit in, but the reality of it is, there is always going to be a goodbye on the other end. I raised him up for this, and I knew I would miss him fiercely when he went... but the inevitable just might break me every time. I get by with letting a few stray tears slip down my face, a deep breath, and a thank you to God for holding him close.

p.s.... A thank you to the nice TSA gentleman who told Cam he should give me one more hug. Terence, that was a gift.

three days that meant the world...

At Christmas, when I asked him what he thought about coming home for Spring Break, I was surprised that he already had an answer. It was a no, and a yes. He and his friends had already started planning a road trip... and the destination just happened to be our house. Other than the worrying about four college kids on the road from Iowa to Florida, I loved the plan.

He arrived late Saturday night with his three friends. I heard them pull into the driveway and couldn't help but run outside {and maybe jump up & down... a little.} He let me fold him into my arms, and I loved that he held on as much as I did. That alone was worth the miles.

They played in the sun for three days. The house was full, Laura was thrilled to spend time with her brother, and we really got to know Cam's new people. I knew he would choose good ones, but to actually meet them and see their friendship in action was a joy.

On their last morning here, everyone wanted to sleep in. Maybe Cam, too... but after a sleepy goodbye from Eric, and a second from Laura a couple hours later, he was awake when I wandered by his door. We slipped out of the house quietly, and headed for the safari road and a walk along the trail.

Our walk was short and slow... and maybe the best hour I have spent with him since the last time we took this walk. He had so much to tell me, and I just listened. As the details spilled out of him, his set in stone plans and his maybes, I held them close and savored each one. It reminded me of what I have always known... he is going places. In his own time, making his own way. I can't help but join in his excitement.

And then it was time to say goodbye once again. My face was smiling, my heart was aching.
But this is what I was made for. Raise him up, and let him go.